TAVR in Non-Calcified Valves; Video CPR Training; The Big Idea

Having families watch a CPR training video before a high-risk patient is discharged from the cardiac unit appears to be about as effective whether they did or did not have a manikin to practice on, according to a prospective, cluster randomized trial at eight hospitals published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. Chest compression rates were statistically similar in both groups, although chest compressions weren’t as deep in the video-only group when tested 6 months later. “These findings suggest a potential trade-off in efforts for broad dissemination of basic CPR skills; video-only training might allow for greater scalability and dissemination, but with a potential reduction in chest compression depth,” the researchers concluded. The Big Idea Calum MacRae, MD, PhD, chief of cardiovascular medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston,…